Keller @ Large: Nordstrom Selling Muddy Jeans For $425

BOSTON (CBS) - The more things change, the more they stay the same.

That's what I thought Tuesday when I heard about the latest eyebrow-raising wrinkle in men's fashion, if you can call it that.

A pair of pre-muddied blue jeans, now available at Nordstrom. For $425!

No, we are not making this up.

While you try to process that, a little historical context.

Back in the 1950s, blue jeans morphed from unremarkable work pants into a cultural symbol, identified with rebellious youth icons like James Dean and Marlon Brando. Designer jeans became popular later on, but the lowly blue jean remained an emblem of down-to-earth grittiness.

But something got lost along the way. It was one thing for Hollywood and the counter-culture of the 1960s to glorify the blue jean as a working-class symbol. The characters Dean and Brando played were not high-rollers, nor were the hippies of the sixties.

But you've got to be flush to afford the eye-popping $425 price tag for these babies.

The store claims they "embody rugged, Americana workwear that's seen some hard-working action with a crackled, caked-on muddy coating that shows you're not afraid to get down and dirty."

And that raises a question - why does someone who can afford a $425 pair of jeans feel the need to show they're willing to get "down and dirty"?

And exactly who is supposed to be impressed or fooled when you show up with these fake mud-splattered jeans on?

After all, you could just buy a $40 pair of jeans and go roll around in the mud with them.

And there's plenty of mud available.